


Like I've been awakened

by MissSanguineOus



Series: Founding mother, founding father [8]
Category: Belgariad/Malloreon Series - David & Leigh Eddings
Genre: F/M, I'm so so sorry, and this is the result, good thing no one cares, so my inner romantic somehow escaped from the basement where i usually have him locked, warning: pointless les mis reference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 23:48:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14460471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSanguineOus/pseuds/MissSanguineOus
Summary: After the battle of Thull Mardu, in the field hospital, Taiba and Relg make some intresting discoveries regarding each other. Obviously, they don't share it, that would be too easy.





	Like I've been awakened

Taiba's heart froze for a couple of seconds when she saw Relg carried into the tent by his men. From the distance, she couldn't get a good look at him and see what was wrong, so as quickly as she could, the Marag made her way through the crowd inside the field hospital set up by Ariana, desperate to reach the group of Ulgos.

_Don't be dead,_ she repeated,  _don't you dare be dead, silly_ . 

That was absurd. He couldn't have been killed. If he was, the universe would stop making sense forever.

The Ulgos were looking around uncertainly. When Taiba came closer, she noticed harmless wounds and makeshift dressings on most of the warriors. However, only Relg and one other man couldn't walk on their own.

“What happened?” Taiba asked breathlessly

A few man averted their eyes from her. Perhaps they recognised her as the one who so rudely interrupted their training a few weeks earlier. Taiba turned towards one of the few Ulgos who wasn't afraid to look her in the eye.

“Well?” she asked “What happened? Is he..?”

The man shook his head and spoke with a heavy accent:

“He got... hit in the...”

The Ulgo patted his ribs, apparently not being able to find the right word in foreign language.

“And head” he added, knocking his knuckles on his forehead. “Not dead. Just...”

“Unconscious” Taiba breathed out in relief “Thank UL!”

The Ulgos flinched, hearing the name of their god from her.

“For gods' sake” she said, rolling her eyes “Here, I'll show you where you can take them”

Partially speaking, partially gesturing, she directed the Ulgos to the place where their unconscious comrades would be looked after and then where the other warriors with less serious wounds could get help.

The relief and knowledge that Relg is alive helped Taiba get through the whole day of tending the injured and easing the pain of those who couldn't be saved, which was exhausting both physically and emotionally.

She had no experience in warfare, obviously, so she couldn't really say whether the casualties were higher than usual, but to her, the death toll was far too abundant. Furthermore, Polgara, Durnik, Ce'Nedra and, worst of all, Errand disappeared gods know where. Luckily, taking care of the wounded left Taiba little time to worry about her friends. She only consoled herself with the conviction that Polgara would protect them from everything. If the sorceress couldn't, no one could and certainly not Taiba, miles away from them. So she just tried not to think about what could have happened to her friends and focus on what was going on around her.

She was impressed by how calm and composed Ariana momentarily became, managing the work and relentlessly walking around the tent, dressing the wounds and fighting for the lives of those who were still balancing on the verge of death, not allowing herself to take a break even for a few minutes. Taiba and a couple of others helped as they could, fetching bandages and medical supplies, cleaning and dressing the less serious wounds and taking care of those who just needed rest and nourishment.

It was among those last ones that Relg was placed after Ariana dressed his broken rib and cleaned the shallow cut on his forehead, next to which a huge, colourful bruise appeared – presumably a souvenir from the hit that knocked Relg unconscious.

Taiba had so much work for the whole afternoon that it wasn't until dusk fell when the Arend finally told her to take a break and get some sleep and Taiba could finally check on Relg.

He was asleep and didn't appear to be in much pain, probably thanks to the herbal brew that he was given earlier. Taiba adjusted the blanket covering the Ulgo and checked on the bandages. Having made sure that Relg is comfortable, she sat on the ground next to him and used the rare opportunity to take a close look at his face when he wasn't frowning in anger or looking away to avoid her gaze.

She once said that Relg wasn't particularly attractive. The Marag wasn't quite sure whether she would be able to say the same thing right now if she was being honest. His appearance didn't change, obviously, it was more about the way she perceived him.

Was he flawed? Extremely. But at some point, his looks and personality melted into one in her mind and looking at Relg now, Taiba saw his features as clearly as all his imperfections, but also all the things that she loved about him.

If asked, Taiba would probably have trouble describing what the latter were. Maybe the fact that he could be caring and tender even though he fought it so hard. Maybe it was his constant struggle between being human and living up to his own standards of purity. Maybe she got so engaged in observing that fight that all out of sudden, she became a part of it and every victory brought her closer and closer to Relg and after some time they were tied so tightly that it was beyond human or gods' power to separate them.

Suddenly, Taiba realized that somewhere among these thoughts, a word  _love_ appeared.

The Marag was surprised by how unsurprised she was, realizing she was in love with Relg. It should have turned her world upside down, but it didn't. The more she thought about it, the more obvious it seemed.

But what Taiba felt was so much more than love. They were made for each other. Not in the way two people who see eye to eye are made for each other, but differently; they were born to be with each other for reasons far greater than they – than anyone – could comprehend. That's why Relg dying seemed like such a preposterous notion – it would mean that the universe made a mistake. That something went wrong.

Taiba smiled at the sleeping diviner.

“Looks like you're stuck with me” she whispered “And I'm not even sorry”

She was going to find some free cot to spend the night – or, at least, those few hours of night when her help wouldn't be needed – but instead, she just curled on the ground next to Relg, covering herself with her cloak. She was so exhausted that even the hard ground seemed like the most comfortable mattress and her woollen cloak like the softest quilt.

Taiba searched for Relg's hand and interlaced her fingers with his. She fell asleep within minutes.

  
  


***

  
  


Relg was slowly waking up from a dreamless sleep. As his mind emerged from the violet void, he began to make out the details of his surroundings and recalled the last things from the battle he remembered before he lost consciousness.

Two strokes, one almost immediately after the other. First, a powerful thrust of a spear to his ribs. It slid on the armour, not reaching his flesh, but Relg remembered the explosion of pain in his ribs. A few moments later, something hit his head – Relg wasn't given the chance to notice whether it was another blow from his opponent or not – and then, darkness.

It was dark now too, but it was familiar darkness, one that he could see through. He noticed the canvas ceiling above his head and, to the side, rows of motionless bodies.

Relg felt something clenching his chest and guessed that someone must have dressed his broken ribs. He winced at the thought of non-believers touching him. Probably due to the medicine still dulling his mind he didn't feel the familiar wave of disgust, or at least not as strong as usual, so his reaction was likely more habitual than anything else. Nonetheless, he said a quick prayer to UL, asking for purgation. He wasn't corrupted enough to forget that yet.

The last thing Relg noticed was a warm hand, holding his own. Glancing down, the diviner saw a sleeping woman, with her face obscured from his view by a bush of dark, wavy hair.

_Taiba._

Relg tried to suppress the warmth that appeared in his chest and spread to his whole body, soothing both the physical pain and the anxiety following him and all the other soldiers that survived the battle.

He finally gave up. Concealed by darkness, he allowed himself to enjoy Taiba's closeness, instead of moving away from her, as he would if someone saw them, laying  _this close_ to each other.

Her company no longer repelled him. Neither did her touch. More than that – he found himself searching for it in the past weeks. Anytime guilt appeared, he kept recalling the words he heard from the Gorim during his last stay in Prolgu. Though still not agreeing with them completely, Relg used them as a shield against his conscience.

Just as he did now, staring at the wonderful, perfect, unbearable woman next to him and wondering how could she wish to be near someone as faulty as him. Someone who displeased the gods and, Relg was quite sure of that, all those around him.

She is a heathen, yes, but... could gods truly disfavour her? Because he, clearly, was failing at that. Of course, who was he to presume to understand the gods? The least suitable person, as he learned.

What he was certain of was the fact that being close to Taiba made him feel... light and... happy and... gods, he was  _smiling_ . He lost the habit of doing that.

Taiba once insisted that gods should want their people to live a happy life and that any love was the highest form of happiness. For the first time, Relg was almost on the verge of admitting there was a slight chance that she wasn't completely wrong.

_If being close to a god is happiness, then to love another person is to see the face of god._

What else could he wish for?

However, when the first light of day began soaking through the fabric of the tent and Taiba, together with other people, was slowly waking up, Relg shut his eyes tightly, pretending to still be asleep, not ready to face her.

Quiet hum of voices began filling the tent and Relg heard a woman calling Taiba's name. The Marag's hand slipped out of his, so Relg guessed Taiba must have gotten up.

He almost opened his eyes in surprise when, out of the blue, he felt her lips on his forehead and her hair skimming against his cheeks. Relg held his breath.

“I'll be back, love” Taiba said in a tone she's never spoken to him before and which made Relg's heart beat even faster than it already was.

Relg supposed she'd never say it to him with such fondness, had she known he could hear her and now he wanted nothing more than to hear her voice speak to him like that for the rest of eternity.

 


End file.
